You are here

Upcoming Congressional Fiscal Policy Deadlines

Updated 5/10/2019: The next two years will include several predictable fiscal policy deadlines that will force congressional action. Many of these deadlines could bring additional costs if Congress acts irresponsibly, or they could present an opportunity for Congress to reduce deficits.

We will regularly update this tracker to help reporters, congressional staff, and others interested in fiscal policy keep tabs of major deadlines. We recommend that you bookmark it and come back to check in.

Congress will need to act on each of these dates or enact short-term extensions to move the deadlines. Dates in red indicate past due deadlines.

Issue

Deadline

Potential 2019-2028 Cost

More Information

First Expiration of the 2017 Tax Bill: Medical Expense Deduction

December 31, 2018

$2 billion for 1 year; $30 billion if extended permanently

The deduction would shrink, covering expenses that exceed 10% of adjusted gross income instead of 7.5% currently.

March 2, 2019
Must-act deadline: late September 2019 or early October 2019.

N/A

The debt limit was suspended by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 until March 2019. Treasury will be able to use “extraordinary measures” past that point to avoid breaching the debt ceiling, which CBO estimates will last until late FY 2019 or early FY 2020. Q&A: Everything You Should Know About the Debt Ceiling

National Flood Insurance Program Reauthorization Needed

May 31, 2019

TBD

The House and Senate elected to extend the deadline for another five months at the end of December. More on NFIP

Reauthorization of TANF & Related Programs Needed

June 30, 2019

TBD

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and the Child Care Entitlement to States will expire under a six-month extension enacted in January.

These trust fund exhaustion dates are estimates provided by the Social Security Trustees. The Congressional Budget Office projected different dates of 2025 for Disability Insurance and 2032 for Old-Age and Survivors Insurance in its long-term budget outlook last year.